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Where do I even begin? Should I start with how much I missed you? Or, where I’ve been the past two months? Or, should we just dive into these scones? Cause, I really can’t decide.

Maybe we’ll just go in order.

I’ve missed you a lot. Like, A LOT, A LOT. Let me paint a picture for you. Imagine you Loved (with a capital L) chocolate chip cookies. They were you’re absolute favorite thing to eat. And then, for two months you just couldn’t eat them. YOU JUST COULDN’T. How much would you miss them?

A lot, right? Like, A LOT, A LOT.

That’s how much I’ve missed you. You’re kind of a big deal to me. Just saying.

So, why did I leave you hanging for two months?

Summer school, that’s why. You know, it wasn’t totally bad, but it was kind of bad. I took two classes and a lab, and was working, and I could go on and tell you every little detail, but instead I’m just going to say: stress + lack of sleep + more coffee than you can imagine + work + studying = no time for baking. Absolutely NO TIME.

Pretty sad, huh?

Now, let’s talk about the goods.

You know, I never even liked blueberries—I would eat around them in a fruit salad or pick them out of parfaits. But then, they opened up a juice bar near my work with acai bowls, which I absolutely love. Please tell me you eat those, cause they are pretty darn delicious. It’s like eating a bowl filled with a really thick, almost ice cream like, fruit smoothie topped with fruits, oats or granola, honey drizzle, and shredded coconuts. Sounds amazing, huh?

But, it has blueberries. Lots of blueberries. Mixed in the bowl. On top of the bowl. And, there’s no way to pick all of them out. Believe me, I tried the first few times. It was just too much.

So, I ate them. All of them. And you know what, it wasn’t half bad. It turns out I actually like blueberries, especially when eaten with a spoonful of shredded coconut. That combo is pure heaven.

You know what else is heaven? These Blueberry Coconut Scones.

The scones are jam-packed with blueberries. Completely jam-packed. As in, every single bite has a blueberry, or four. Aren’t you proud of how far I’ve come?

Lets not forget the coconut shreds. Each scone is filled with them.

Oh and the scones, so soft and moist on the inside and biscuit-like on the outside. This recipe is cream-based, which means no butter, no eggs, and no buttermilk. Best scone recipe ever? I think yes.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking with parchment paper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
In a liquid measuring cup, mix together 1 1/3 cups of heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Pour liquid into the dry mixture, tossing and stirring as you pour. Add the blueberries and coconut shreds. Toss together. Add up to 2 more tablespoons of heavy cream, if needed, to create a moist, but not sticky, cohesive dough.
Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead the dough into a round disk with a ¾-inch thickness. Using a biscuit cutter (or a cup) cut circles from the dough disk. Brush each disk with a little heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until lightly golden brown and cooked all the way through.
Remove from the oven and serve warm.

I know, this is kind of personal for a Wednesday, but I feel like we’ve reached that level in our friendship.

And, also, I can’t decide for myself.

I’ve been over the question, in my head, mostly, for the past few days and I can’t settle on one answer. There is too many smells that I love. Seriously, though, like the Juicy perfume I wear, or fresh laundry, or Thanksgiving dinner, or that manly man smell—you know the one I’m talking about—or baby smell, or even the smell when you open a brand new book. How is one supposed to settle on a favorite?

You just can’t. It’s impossible. Or, I should say, it’s impossible for me.

What I can do though, is settle on two. I can’t tell you which is first or second, but I can tell you, without hesitation, these are my absolute favorite smells on earth. PERIOD.

You ready?

My two favorite smells are….

Freshly brewed pot of coffee AND cookies baking in the oven.

I know, kind of predictable considering I consume rant about coffee more than your average person, and have a baking blog that quite often features cookies. But, it’s the truth, predictable or not. Those two smells are absolute heaven to me. Really, they need to be bottled and sold. Don’t you agree?

I’d buy it in bulk. And then I’d send you a bottle of each. Okay, fine, two. But, only because I like you.

The problem is, like I said, I can’t narrow it down to one smell.

I just can’t.

Or, can I?

Oh hi Toasted Coconut Mocha Cheesecake Cookies.

What’s that you say? You have coffee in you? And when you bake you leave a faint smell of coffee in the air?

Oh my. How wonderful.

Toasted coconut shreds, mini chocolate chips, and coconut coffee grinds all combined into a soft and doughy cookie. Oh, and I stuffed the cookies with coffee cheesecake, because…well, because why not?

Directions:Toasted Coconut Mocha Cookies
In a large bowl combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda,salt, and coffee grinds. Set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together melted butter and sugars until no clumps remain. Whisk in the egg, and then the egg yolk. Add coconut and vanilla extracts, whisking until incorporated.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a rubber spatula until just combined. The dough will be soft, but very thick to work with. Using the spatula fold in the toasted coconut shreds and the mini chocolate chips. Cover the dough and let chill for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days–I let mine sit overnight.

Mocha Cheesecake Filling
While the cookie dough is chilling, make the mocha cheesecake filling. Using a mixer combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, and 1/2 of the instant coffee mixture. Mix until smooth–it’ll have the consistency of a no-bake cheesecake. Place bowl in the freezer and freeze for at least 3 hours–I let mine sit overnight.

Assembling the Cookies
Once dough and cheesecake filling have chilled, start assembling the cookies. Roll about a tablespoon and half of cookie dough into a ball. Make a deep thumbprint in the middle of each dough ball, sort of like a well. Place a teaspoon of the coffee cheesecake in the center of the well and fold the edges of the dough over, using your fingers to enclose the cheesecake in the dough ball. Bake cookies for 11-12 minutes–the cookies will look soft and underbaked. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTE: I had extra coffee cheesecake, which I dipped these cookies into and ate, but if you don’t want extra, I suggest cutting the cheesecake portion in half.

And, no, I haven’t completely lost it. I know it’s Tuesday, and that the week barely just started. But, you see, today is my Saturday. My weekend is just starting.

And let me just tell you, it took forever and a year to get here.

This past week I worked six out of seven days. Burnt my finger with the straightener, not once, or twice, but three times. Got yelled at by a few visitors at the hospital. Forgot to bring my badge to work. Had my order messed up at Starbucks, twice. And, bought a pair of the cutest booties online, and then found out that they sold out right before they could process my order. Oh, and can’t stop thinkingdreamingbeing in love with craving breakfasty foods.

Who knew that could be a thing?

All I want for dinner is omelets. All I want for lunch is parfaits. All I want to snack on is croissants. And, all I can dream of is recipes for scones, pastries, and breads.

And, when I said want up there in that sentence. I really meant to say have been eating. Because, let’s be honest, my meals have consisted of omelets, parfaits, croissants, and scones.

These scones to be more exact.

These beautiful, wonderful, life saving scones.

Okay, fine, that’s an exaggeration. They didn’t save my life. But, I will say making these scones was the second best part of my week.

Wanna know what the best part of my week was?

Yup, eating the scones. Said with absolutely no shame what so ever.

Some of you may think that’s kind of sad that my favorite part of the week revolves around a breakfast dessert. You may be right, but on the other hand, I’m pretty sure you’re wrong.

You see, these Coconut & Chocolate Cream Scones are packed with mini chocolate chips and sweetened coconut shreds. They are ridiculously light and airy on the inside and have a flaky and crisp outside. It’s kind of like eating a chocolate coconut infused pie crust. Delicious, I know. The top of the scones are drizzled with a sweet coconut glaze, which I may or may not have been eating out of the bowl, and sprinkled with toasted coconut shreds.

Now, tell me, does that sound sad?

Lets make a deal. Make these scones and then let me know if you think they rank in the top 3 best things about your week. If they don’t, we’ll agree to disagree, but if they do, then let’s have a scone party, cause it’s Tuesday, and what better day to have a scone party then right now.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until combined. Grate the frozen butter—the frozen butter is a trick I picked up from Sally’s Baking Addiction, it helps make the scones light and airy on the inside and flaky on the outside—with a cheese grater or food processor.
Toss grated butter into flour mixture, and combine it with a pastry knife or your fingers until it resembles coarse meal. Mix in coconut shreds and mini chocolate chips.
Using a spatula or fork, stir in heavy cream and coconut extract until dough begins to form. Transfer dough (and all the dry, floury bits) to a floured countertop and knead until dough comes together into a rough, sticky ball.
Form scones by pressing dough into a prepared 8-inch cake pan, then turning the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a very sharp knife, cut dough into 8 wedges and place on an ungreased baking sheet with a little room in between each wedge.
Using a pastry brush, brush the tops of each scone with a little bit of cream and then sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops of scones are lightly browned. Cool on wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
While scones are cooling, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, coconut extract, and heavy cream until of drizzling consistency. If you want more of sweet coconut flavor add more extract. If the glaze is too thick add more heavy cream until of desired consistency. Drizzle the tops of each scone with glaze and sprinkle with toasted coconut shreds. Best served the day of, but scones will keep for two days in a sealed container at room temperature.

NOTES: *place butter in freezer 30 minutes before you start scones *If I made these again I would use 1/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips, the chocolate flavor slightly overpowered the coconut on the inside of the scone*cream scone recipe adapted fromSmitten Kitchen

Would it be okay if I told you that I missed you? It’s the truth. Honest. I don’t even know where the time went. Okay, maybe I do…

It went to work. A lot of work. But, I can’t complain too much cause I actually really like my job.

And, some weekend trips away from home aka the Hint of Nutmegg Kitchen.

And, laziness. I’ll be honest, sometimes, on my days off, I just want to sleep. Or, I want to go out and tootle around. Or, I just have a ton of errands to run.

And then, there’s the real kicker, the heat. I’m so, so so, over the damn heat. I want rain. I want clouds. I want to sit on the couch wrapped up in a blanket, drinking a PSL, eating a pumpkin cream cheese muffin. I want fall and I want it now. It’s simply impossible to have the oven on in my house with the heat. Impossible.

That reminds me, I have something reallllly exciting to tell you. A few weeks ago I officially catered (well, the dessert portion of the event, that is) a baby shower! A friend of a friend saw the Baby Boy Cupcakes I made awhile back on Instagram, thought they were the cutest (I mean, they are pretty stinkin adorable), and asked if I could make them for the shower. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, let’s move on to the important stuff.

Coconut Chocolate Cake Balls. Some have even called them heaven balls. No joke. That’s a direct quote from a coworker of mine.

Moist chocolate cake mixed with coconut frosting, rolled into balls, dipped in chocolate, and sprinkled with shredded coconut. I mean, does it get any better than that? I don’t think so.

Originally, my plan was to make cake pops…butttt, in my excitement, I made the cake balls a little too fat to stay upright on a lollipop stick, and there was also the fact that I didn’t have enough lollipop sticks for all the pops. Oops. So, I simply made cake balls. Problem solved. They were just as easy as making cake pops, just as yummy, and just a tad bit easier to eat because of the missing lollipop stick. Sounds like a win to me.

But, guys, seriously, let’s not go this long without talking. I don’t like it. I’ll try my best (better than my best) to be around more often.

Directions:
Bake your cake according to the recipe or box instructions. Let cool completely.
Once cake is cooled, use a fork, your hands, or a food processor to shred the cake into small crumbs—if you want to use cake crumbs for garnish, put some in a separate bowl at this time. Set aside.
To make the frosting, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy. Add powdered sugar, heavy cream, shredded coconut, and coconut extract—this frosting is very adaptable to taste…if you want it sweeter add more powdered sugar, if you want less coconut flavor you can either lessen the amount of coconut extract or substitute vanilla extract instead, if it’s too thick add more heavy cream…just keep playing with the taste until you love it—beat until combined.
Add ¾ of the coconut frosting to the crumbled chocolate cake mixture. Once combined, try to form about a 1-inch sized ball—the dough should be sticky enough to hold the shape of a ball, similar in consistency to cookie dough, if it’s too dry or crumbly add more frosting until it reaches the desired consistency. Place cake balls on a lined cookie sheet and let chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.
When the cake balls are almost done chilling, melt your chocolate candy melts, in intervals of fifteen seconds, stirring after each interval, until melted.
Coat each cake ball completely in melted chocolate—everyone has their own method of doing this, whether that be dipping it, spooning it on, or a combination of both (I prefer a combo of both)—and place on the lined cookie sheet. Working quickly, sprinkle coconut shreds on top of the coated cake ball and let sit to harden. Repeat until all cake balls are coated and garnished.
Alternatively, you can garnish your cake balls with a coconut candy melt (or, chocolate or white chocolate) drizzle and then sprinkle with the reserved chocolate cake crumbles.

If you were to ask me what my favorite candy is, I honestly don’t know what I would say. I almost think I would answer that question differently depending on my mood, the month, or whatever was closest to me… and by that last one I mean, whichever candy was stashed in my purse. Yes, I am that lady that carries candy in her purse. Just in case. You never know when you just won’t be yourself.

Please tell me you picked up that Snickers reference? If you did, ignore this sentence completely, but if you didn’t, go watch a Snickers commercial. It’s kind of funny. And, very true.

I’ve had affairs with Snickers, Twix, Reese’s, and Gummy Bears throughout my life. I seem to always come back to one of these four. I can count on them. They never let me down. Ever. Which is why I have never really been tempted to grab a different candy bar in the aisle.

Until one day an Almond Joy walked up. Well, really, my mom bought an Almond Joy and I tried a bite, and lets just say it was actually pretty darn good. I really liked the combination of coconut, almond, and chocolate. A lot. But, I’m far to loyal (or too in love with) my other four favorites, that there is simply no way Almond Joy’s could become part of my candy routine. But, that doesn’t mean they can’t become part of my baking routine. Or, at least that the ingredients can’t. I’m a problem solver people. I know how to make things work in our (fine, my) favor.

Oh hey there, Coconut Almond Chocolate Blondies or, more simply put, Almond Joy Blondies—I don’t know which name to pick, mainly because I don’t want you to think these bars have Almond Joy’s in them. They have all the ingredients of an Almond Joy, but no physical Almond Joy candy was present during the making process. So, I’m going to let you officially pick the name of these bars. Keep in mind, that this is kind of a big honor. I must really like you.

Can we take a brief minute to talk about blondies. Okay, so blondies. Yeah, I didn’t really get what all the fuss was about. I’m a brownie girl. I like my bars fudgy, gooey, and filled to the max with chocolate flavor. Blondies weren’t even a thought to me for the simple reason that they didn’t have fudge in them. They were acting like brownie imposters. And no one likes imposters. No one.

I now see the error in my ways. Blondies aren’t trying to be brownies. In fact, they have their own amazingly delicious thing going on, that they don’t even need to think about being someone else. Blondies are gooey and soft, taste buttery and rich, and are the perfect base for mixing in other ingredients. Why are they the perfect base you ask? Mainly because blondies allow all mixed in flavors, including its buttery self, to come through in each bite. They don’t overpower other ingredients and they definitely don’t let other ingredients overpower them. That’s why these bars are so good. Each bite is a combination of toasted coconut, some crunch from the almond pieces, rich chocolate creaminess, and a buttery gooeyness that keeps you coming back for more.

So, no, it’s not an Almond Joy candy, but I think I’ll dare to say, it’s better. Much better. As in, if this became a candy bar you could buy, I would gladly add it to my candy bar routine. In fact, it might work its way up to be my favorite candy affair.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a 9×13-inch pan by lining it with foil and spraying generously with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together melted butter and brown sugar, until no clumps of brown sugar remain.
Add eggs, one at a time, and then whisk in vanilla and coconut extract.
Whisk in flour and salt, until just combined—try not to over stir the batter or it will become tough to work with.
Using a spatula, fold in toasted coconut flakes and then the almonds. Fold in chocolate chips until just combined.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top, if needed, lightly with a spatula. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick, stuck in the middle, comes out clean.
Let cool completely before slicing into bars.